Fluid sealing device



Patented Oct. 20, 1942 r" 7' Y .i trg-inziens COPY" 2,299,638 FLUID SEALING DEVICE John T. Marvin, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware application March 29, 1940, serial No. 326,711

tor compressors,

1 Claim.

This invention relates to fluid sealing devices and is particularly concerned with devices wherein the parts thereof are self-contained.

It is an object of the invention to provide a fluid seal assembly which includes a resilient sealing member that contains a spring, said spring being adapted to act upon said sealing member for Vsimultaneously expanding the member axially and for radially changing the diameter of a portion of the member.

In carrying out the above object it Ls a further object in some cases to provide a circum-l ferential groove in `the sealing member adapted to receive one end of the spring.

Further objects ,and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the vfollowing description, reference being had to the acfil 'I'he invention shown in Figs. l through 4 is a rotating type seal which grips the shaft peripherally thereof and which in the application shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4' is used as a seal in an automotive water pump. In these embodiments, a shaft 54 is journaled in a bearing I6, carried by a housing member 58. The outer end of the shaft 54 is hermetically associated with an impeller ill which includes a cavity 62 therein. 'I'he walls 64 of the cavity 62 are slotted at 66 preferably in two places and the function of these slots will be described in detail hereinafter. Fluid seal assembly 6l is adapted to be placed within the cavity 62 and includes a resilient sleeve portion 10 having a reenforced integral end portion 12 thereof and a ange 14 spaced from the portion 12. AA groove 1I or shoulder, is

companying drawing wherein preferred embodimoulded in the reenforced portion 12 and is ments of the present invention are clearly shown. Vadapted to act as an abutment for the smaller In the drawing: diameter end of a conical spring 18. One end Figure 1 shows a uid seal wherein the sealof spring 18 is of less diameter than the diameter ing member grips the shaft and rotates thereof th'e groove 16 and, therefore, may be snapped With; into the groove whereby the portion 12 is com- Figure 2 is a part of the fragmentary view of the seal as shown in Fig. 1; and

Figure 3 is a view of the spring used in connection with the seal shown in Fig. 1,

Figure 4 shows another form of the invention.

Fluid seals of the type used to seal refrigeraing machine drive shafts and the like, are represent invention. In application, Serial No. 168,910, an assembly is described wherein the spring is of a cylindrical type which bears concomitantly upon two end ilanges of a sealing member. In Patent No. 2,167,986, a seal assembly is shown wherein a. circumferential of, for providing siliency thereto and holding the iiange in an annular groove in the housing, if desired. The present invention is particularly directed to a fluid seal wherein the desirable qualities of both of the aforementioned seals are incorporated in a single unit without any additional manufacturing expense and in fact with a reduced number of parts.

automotive water pumps, wash- 1l are of sufficient length so that pressed radially inwardly. The other end of spring 18 bears against ange 14 and, if desired, a spring retaining washer may be used as shown in Fig. 1, or as shown in Fig. 4, the ange 14 may be grooved as at 82 to aid in the placement of the spring. It is apparent that the spring could bear directly against the flange 14 and that no groove such as 82, is necessary but the groove facilitates the placement of the spring if the spring retaining washer is not used.

The seal assembly 68 may be slipped over the shaft 54 since the spring 18 radially compresses the portion 12 of the seal 68, pressing the same over the shaft 54 causes an outward radial expansion whereby a fluid tight joint is provided f between the portion 12 of the seal and the shaft 54. 'Ihe portion 12 is preferably bottomed in the cavity 62. At the other end of the seal $8, portion 14 is adapted to seal against a sealing washer 24 made from Bakelite, carbon, porous metal or other suitable material. The washer 84, in turn, seals against a surface 86, on the heusing l58. The washer 84 has ears 88 thereon corresponding in number to the slots 66 in the cavity walls $4 so that the washer 84 turns with the shaft and impeller so that there is substantially no relative rotation between theseparts.

lIt is apparent that the seal 68 and the spring when the impeller is assembled within the housing, the spring 18 is under compression to furnish a sealing pressure between washer 84 and sealing surface 86.

In these embodiments, the spring provides a ual function of sealing the seal member radialy, aswell as, expanding the same axially for orming a second seal. In Fig. 2, the sealing member 68 is shown in its free position wherein the walls thereof are substantially straight. These walls are bowed inwardly when the assembly is compressed as shown in Fig. 1.

The spring 18 preferably has complete loop portions at both ends thereof and the smaller loop portion is obviously radially expansible outwardly to permit the shaft to be passed through the seal member 88 and particularly through portion 12 thereof.

be eliminated providing the flange portion 14 is made of harder material than the remainder of the sealing member 68, such a type of seal being disclosed in the Geyer Patentv No. 2,227,304 assigned to the assignee f the present invention.

While the embodiments of the present invenforms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claim which follows.

It is apparent that the sealing washer 88 may v tion as herein disclosed, constitute preferred diameter than the first having a What is claimed is as follows;

In a fluid seal for preventing leakage between a rotary shaft and a member through which the rotary shaft is received with clearance: a packing sleeve of elastic composition consisting of an annulus adapted for snug encirclement of a portion of said shaft, a: second annulus of larger face adapted for axially-directed sealing contact with a complementary surface of said member, and a' relatively thin axially-distensible bellows portion intermediate said annuli, integral therewith and capable of--iiexure into radially variably-spaced relation to thev shaft portion encircled thereby, and a (tapered coil compression spring member having its small end portion anchored to and constrictively encircling said small annulus enforcing sealing contact thereof with the rotary shaft, having its large end portion in axially-directed abutment with said larger annulus, and having its intermediate convolutions disposed around said bellows portion in normally slightly-spaced relation thereto positively confining said bellows against excessive radial expansion without however interfering with normal fiexures thereof incident to operational variations in the mutual spacing of said annull. I

JOHN T. MARVIN. 

